1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to light assemblies, and more particularly is directed towards flexible light strip assemblies.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wedge base bulbs or lamps are finding use in increasing numbers of applications. This type of bulb has a glass envelope containing a filament, with the wedge base of the envelope designed to be inserted into an appropriately formed socket. Such bulbs are generally easier to manufacture than conventional screw type or bayonet type bulbs because it is unnecessary to form and attach a separate, conductive base to the lamp. Instead, conductors to the filament extend through the wedge base of the envelope and are bent over the external surface of the wedge base. Such lamps take up relatively little space, and electric current is passed through the filament as the conductors are brought into a circuit through connection with various electrical contact members. Proper positioning of these conductors is essential to correct operation of the lamp.
Because of economies of manufacture, as mentioned above, and the availability of various transformer power supplies to provide various current ratings to these lamps, they are presently utilized for diverse applications. While sockets for wedge base bulbs are known in the art (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,101,187, 3,950,061, and 4,181,390), they typically require coupling of the electric contact members to the bulb's conductors by the use of wires that are crimped or soldered to contact members within the socket housing. This disadvantageously requires a multi-step process to couple the bulb conductors, the contacts and their lead wires; and precludes the effective use of molded plastic housings which may not be capable of withstanding the relatively high temperatures required for soldering or welding lead wires to the electric contacts.
Two-piece socket assemblies are also known; however, the assembly disclosed, for example, in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,187 (listed above) requires the lead wires that supply electric power to the lamp to be crimped to electric contact members within the socket. This disadvantageously requires an additional manufacturing step.
Sockets having contacts that releasably grip the base and sides of a wedge base bulb, the contacts of which extend through the socket housing, are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,972. This advantageously eliminates the necessity for coupling contacts to lead wires within the socket; however, this patent is directed towards the problem of alignment of the bulbs as they are inserted in the socket, and the contact members disclosed would not be useful in the construction of the flexible light strip assembly of the present invention.
Flexible light strip devices are known (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,500,036; 3,527,933; 3,894,225; 4,107,767; and 4,173,035). Flat electrical connecting elements are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,933 which, however, must be pre-formed with openings aligned in pairs to receive connecting members from the bulb socket utilized. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,036 discloses a strip lighting device in which bores must be formed to accomodate a socket and a lamp. Our prior RIBBONLITE brand flexible light strips utilized a bayonet base socket to which contact members were fastened. These in turn were soldered to a pair of parallel copper conductive elements. However, none of these related devices allow the simple and economical utilization of a conventional wedge base bulb, and a plastic molded housing assembly through which unitary contact members extend, to safely and conveniently fasten the socket assemblies to an unmodified conductive strip.